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@ Halal | March-April . 2021

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No-go for halal food manufacturers With the new rules of excluding foreign audiences , the 30-40 per cent Muslim spectators we were targetting are gone , says FISB MD

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Halal exports RM20b off the mark HDC says export revenue for halal industry likely hit RM31b last year , well short of govt ’ s RM50b target

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Emirates Islamic launches ‘ businessONLINE ’ Expands exclusive services to SMEs by launching new business banking centres

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Daesang Briefs enters Indonesia The company is first from South Korea to enter the halal market in the Muslimmajority nation

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Bank Islam targets 500,000 new customers TheNoor digital app offers gateway link to various products

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No issue to be Muslim-friendly Five-star Pullman Kuching has been getting positive response

Thailand , for instance , recently announced they would be accepting vaccinated tourists into Phuket .

That would be the order of the day , but now popularly known as “ the new norm ”.

Islamic tourism would not be left out of the race . Muslim countries would now be jostling for positions , for their place in the sun . All that pent-up energy , the urge to travel and especially the knotted purse-strings for over a year would now be cut loose .

Where will Muslim tourists go ? Which would be their favourite Muslim-friendly destinations be ? It is a no-brainer . MALAYSIA . Consider this :

• The global Muslim population has surpassed three billion .

• The Muslim population has the fastest growth rate .

• The growth drivers are Saudi Arabia , UAE , Indonesia , China , Malaysia , India and Singapore .

• In 2019 , before the pandemic hit , Muslim travel was worth US $ 194 billion ( that ’ s almost RM1 trillion ).

Malaysia ’ s Islamic Tourism Centre ( ITC ) has been in overdrive . They knew this day would come when the demand for Muslim- destinations would be staggering . And they will have to be ready when that happens .

True , there would be apprehensions . Would-be travellers will not dive right in . Caution would prevail , and yet , it is a reality . Muslim travellers ’ budgets would open up even more now that Japan has announced they will not accept foreign spectators for the Tokyo Olympics this year .

The needs of Muslim travellers are simple :

1 . Places for prayers . 2 . Halal food .

In both aspects , Malaysia is streets ahead of most , if not all , other Muslim countries .

There are mosques and suraus in every Malaysian district . Halal food and beverage ( F & B ) outlets are on every street corner .

And more … Malaysia is a melting pot of diverse races , religions and cultures . Not something you get everywhere .

There you go , ITC . The fruits of Islamic tourism are ripe for the picking . The time is now . The private sector too should rise to the occasion .

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COVER STORY Are the vaccines halal ? Covid-19 , vaccines , vaccination for Preservation of Life

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Malaysia could become halal hub Khairy says country internationally recognised because of its halal certification system for halal vaccines

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Improved ways to halal F & B system The final World Halal Expo Series 4 underlines challenges and best solutions to Malaysia ’ s halal food and beverage industry

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Let ’ s fix our broken food system Diet encompasses a broader spectrum of halalan toyyiban attributes